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Seattle Art Museum

100 University Street, Volunteer Park, Seattle, WA 98101-2902
206-654-3100
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Ranked #32 of 194 attractions in Seattle
Type: Art Museums
Description: This post-modern structure houses an impressive and eclectic collection.
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399 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    200
    126
    56
    13
    4
Date Rating
Lake Mary
Senior Contributor
25 reviews 25 reviews
3 attraction reviews
Reviews in 12 cities Reviews in 12 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
3 of 5 stars Reviewed June 19, 2013 NEW

I spent a couple of hours at SAM, which is all that is needed to see everything. The African art was prominent and impressive. The local art collection could be expanded.I felt that some of the art looked out of place, especially the casket. It was very contemporary & didn't fit in with the rest of the art in that... More

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See 3 more reviews by Ginny C for Seattle
Plano, Texas
Top Contributor
104 reviews 104 reviews
42 attraction reviews
Reviews in 13 cities Reviews in 13 cities
15 helpful votes 15 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed June 19, 2013 NEW

It costs $21 to go to the observation deck. Slow elevator, and once you're up there, you wonder what is the best way to get your money's worth. I spent 10 minutes and couldn't keep myself occupied. The view is nice, but not worth the money in my opinion.

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See 20 more reviews by flaneur99 for Seattle
North Liberty, Iowa
Senior Reviewer
8 reviews 8 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
4 of 5 stars Reviewed June 14, 2013 NEW

I spent a very enjoyable day at SAM. The collection is fairly small, but interesting. Great care is taken in the signage to provide interesting background information. The exhibit focused on gold is a highlight, the NW native art collection is quite comprehensive and displayed in a way that is both attentive to the individual artifact and eye catching as... More

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Dallas, Texas
Senior Contributor
28 reviews 28 reviews
9 attraction reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
18 helpful votes 18 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed June 14, 2013 NEW

If you are looking for works by famous artists, this is not the place for you. The SAM has a mix of native Pacific Northwest art and modern art. There is a small collection of European works, but you won't see anything too famous or impressive. There are a few unique pieces and the facilities are nice, but overall it... More

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See 10 more reviews by jth11110 for Seattle
Glasgow, United Kingdom
Top Contributor
235 reviews 235 reviews
98 attraction reviews
Reviews in 64 cities Reviews in 64 cities
131 helpful votes 131 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed June 11, 2013 via mobile

I was stunned by the Porcelain Room modelled on a similar room in a palace in Berlin. It displays porcelain beautifully and makes the most of a relatively small collection. The special exhibition of African art, both contemporary and old, was especially interesting. The gallery's own collections of modern American works seem mediocre. Lots of empty wall space too. There... More

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See 16 more reviews by Kirkcaldylad for Seattle
Scottsdale, Australia
Senior Contributor
22 reviews 22 reviews
5 attraction reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed June 9, 2013

I paid to see the Remebrandt and other artworks which were utterly amazing, I didn't expect such an incredible collection of ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian sculpture and pottery etc Spent three hours here, it's a don't miss!

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See 2 more reviews by CarolynG351 for Seattle
Kenmore, Washington
Senior Contributor
42 reviews 42 reviews
22 attraction reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed June 6, 2013

Many exhibits to stroll through, with a variety of types and styles of art. Some exhibits routinely change, while others stay around for a long haul. Well worth going to, and even has one day a month where admission is free!

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See 15 more reviews by ormbrek for Seattle
Washington DC
Senior Contributor
36 reviews 36 reviews
4 attraction reviews
Reviews in 15 cities Reviews in 15 cities
17 helpful votes 17 helpful votes
2 of 5 stars Reviewed June 2, 2013

Really disappointed by the quality of the exhibits at the museum. Small, poorly curated and not worth the money.

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See 7 more reviews by dcindc2003 for Seattle
Westfield, Indiana
Top Contributor
72 reviews 72 reviews
23 attraction reviews
Reviews in 20 cities Reviews in 20 cities
24 helpful votes 24 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 31, 2013

We spent the morning here on our last day in Seattle and enjoyed both the native arts section and the special Kenwood House exhibit. The museum isn't huge and is easy to do in a few hours. The Native American arts were especially impressive and the special exhibit was well done too with a free guided audio tour. A good... More

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See 12 more reviews by ags35 for Seattle
Greenbank, Washington
Senior Contributor
45 reviews 45 reviews
15 attraction reviews
Reviews in 11 cities Reviews in 11 cities
21 helpful votes 21 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 29, 2013

You are always assured of an XLNT experience at SAM - whether viewing a special exhibit - or the regular exhibits (which do change) !

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See 3 more reviews by wayne963 for Seattle

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